This invention relates generally to method and apparatus for distributing electrical power to a plurality of electrical loads not all of which are located near convenient electrical power receptacles. More specifically, the present invention relates to a new and improved method and apparatus for a power director which has means for storing the excess length of a power cord associated with a particular electrically powered device.
Prior art power directors for desk top computer systems, for example, generally are packaged in thin, rectangular housings, sometime likened to take-out "pizza" boxes. These power directors can accommodate on their top surface the weight of at least a smaller computer monitor. They have a row of electrical outlet receptacles on a rear side and one or more electrical switches and status lamps or light emitting diodes ("LED" or "LEDs") on a front side. The row of electrical outlets are adapted for mating with the plugs at the ends of electrical power cords of electrically powered devices. Heretofore, no power director has included means for storing portions of the power cords of the different electrical devices used at a desk top along with a computer (associated devices) to manage the tangle of power cords coupled to the row of outlets on the back or rear sides of the pizza boxes.
Examples of the foregoing and related prior art power directors include: the Command Center, model SPF-4, of the Curtis Manufacturing Company of New Hampshire; the Power Trax 3000, of the EFI Electronics Corporation of Utah; The Master Piece Plus, model 62104, of Kensington Microwave, Ltd. of New York; the Command Console, model CCI 6-12, of the Tripp Lite company of Illinois; the Power Director Plus, model P15, of the Proxima company of California; and the Power Warren Plus, of the PC Concepts company of California. The Command Center product of the Curtis Manufacturing Company includes a cable organizer that is external to the housing of the power director.